Ottawa Pride stance on Israel has Liberals, U.S., some civil servants exit parade

OTTAWA — The decision by organizers of the Pride parade in Ottawa to boycott Israeli companies is prompting a growing number of participants to pull out of the festivities, including the federal Liberal party and the U.S. embassy.

Earlier this month, the Capital Pride committee condemned the brutal attack by Hamas last fall, and also accused the Israeli government of touting its LGBTQ+ inclusivity to distract from the carnage in the Gaza Strip.

The committee endorsed a campaign to boycott Israeli companies, which it says is aimed at ending the war in Gaza and getting justice for both Israelis and Palestinians.

The Aug. 6 statement had accused Israel of pinkwashing, a term that refers to superficial support of LGBTQ+ people that doesn’t actually advance inclusion.

“Part of the growing Islamophobic sentiment we are witnessing is fuelled by the (pinkwashing) of the war in Gaza and racist notions that all Palestinians are homophobic and transphobic,” the original statement reads.

“By portraying itself as a protector of the rights of queer and trans people in the Middle East, Israel seeks to draw attention away from its abhorrent human rights abuses against Palestinians. We refuse to be complicit in this violence.”

Jewish groups said the statement made their community feel excluded and unsafe, which prompted Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe to say he wouldn’t participate in the weeklong festival.

Community groups, government agencies and embassies have since been deliberating whether to march in the parade on Sunday.

The issue has roiled groups that focus on LGBTQ+ people, whose social media accounts have faced hundreds of heated comments, including from people who don’t identify as a gender or sexual minority.

Public Service Pride network, a volunteer organization of federal civil servants, says it won’t have a presence in the parade this year, saying it will instead focus on “inclusive, safe and people-centred events.”

The group is co-ordinating small-scale events at workplaces across Canada and embassies abroad. This week is the Pride week for both the federal capital as well as the civil service.

The central government body that helps direct departments and agencies says it hasn’t told federal bodies whether they can march.

“The Treasury Board Secretariat did not provide any central guidance or direction on participation in this year’s Capital Pride events,” wrote spokesman Martin Potvin.

The federal Liberal party says it won’t be part of any Capital Pride events.

“In light of recent decisions made by the Capital Pride board, the Liberal party has decided not to participate in Capital Pride events this year, and instead will host our own event to celebrate Ottawa’s 2SLGBTQI+ communities,” wrote party spokesman Parker Lund.

The NDP says it’s still marching in the parade, saying it supports peace for everyone in the Middle East. The Conservatives, Bloc Québécois and Green parties did not respond by mid-afternoon when asked whether they’d participate.

The Bank of Canada told staff it would not be marching in the parade due to “security concerns for our employees,” citing the “mounting controversy” around the statement as well as “demonstrations and counter-protests” at Pride parades across the country.

Two major local hospitals have pulled out, arguing Capital Pride wasn’t being adequately inclusive.

Capital Pride organizers released a statement on Monday, stressing that they didn’t want to make anyone feel excluded. They noted that their previous statement focused on the actions of Israel and not Jewish people, while calling out antisemitism as well as Islamophobia.

Still, the United States embassy in Ottawa said Capital Pride’s views “do not align with U.S. government policy positions or with the value of inclusiveness that we believe is an essential element of the Pride movement,” and so the embassy will not be part of the festival.

The embassy listed a series of Pride events it will take part in that aren’t run by Capital Pride.

Germany’s embassy in Ottawa says it still plans to march in the parade, but accused Capital Pride of delegitimizing Israel by supporting the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, known as BDS.

“We will not support delegitimizing (Israel) nor promoting BDS. Pride events have to be a safe and supportive space for all 2SLGBTQIA+ people,” the embassy wrote on X.

Those events shouldn’t “be misused for other political purposes,” the embassy wrote.

The British high commission says its staff are welcome to march in the parade.

The Israeli embassy has in recent years had staff march as part of the multinational Diplomats for Equality cohort, an informal grouping of staff from various diplomatic missions.

The Ottawa Senior Pride Network will continue its plans to march near the front of the parade as this year’s group of honour. The group stressed that it is neutral on the Middle East and doesn’t endorse the organizers’ stance.

“Making statements outside our mission is not within our mandate,” the group wrote in a statement. “Many of our members have expressed pain, discomfort, sadness and some even want us to withdraw from the festival.”

The Palestinian ambassador to Canada, Mona Abuamara, said in an unrelated interview that people shouldn’t be pulling out of the parade over a statement that gives a factual portrayal of what’s happening to Palestinians, and calls for a non-violent boycott.

“This has nothing to do with the Jewish community; it has to do with standing up to Israel’s practices against Palestine,” she said.

“You can’t build someone’s well-being on someone else’s demise, and you can’t normalize the injustice toward one community for the benefit of another.”

Israel’s ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed, previously accused Pride organizations of having ulterior motives for not calling out the persecution of LGBTQ+ people by Hamas.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2024.

— With files from Mickey Djuric

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press